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US and Russia agree Syria peace plan

by Unknown , at 4:46 PM , has 0 comments
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, centre, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, arrive for a press conference following their meeting in Geneva, where they discussed the crisis in Syria, Friday, 9 September 2016. Image copyright AP
Image caption Russia and the US announce a plan that could bring a "cessation of hostilities" as early as Monday

Russia and the US have announced an agreement on Syria starting with a "cessation of hostilities" from sunset on Monday.

Under the plan, the Syrian government will end combat missions in specified areas held by the opposition.

Russia and the US will establish a joint centre to combat so-called Islamic State and al-Nusra fighters.

The announcement follows talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

The plan would need both the regime and opposition "to meet their obligations", Mr Kerry said in Geneva.

The opposition had indicated it was prepared to comply with the plan, he said, provided the Syrian government "shows it is serious".

Mr Lavrov said Russia had informed the Syrian government about the arrangements and the Syrian government was "ready to fulfil them".

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The accord also provides for humanitarian access.

"The cessation of hostilities requires access to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas, including Aleppo", Mr Kerry said.

Media captionAleppo: Key battleground in Syria's civil war

Seven days after the start of the cessation of hostilities, Mr Kerry added, Russia and the US would establish a "joint implementation group centre" to fight the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda-allied Nusra fighters.

Mr Lavrov warned that some mistrust remained, and that "there are some people who would like today's arrangement to be undermined".

But both men stressed that the plan could pave the way for a political transition.

"The plan is more prescriptive and far reaching than any proposal to date and if implemented by all sides could allow political negotiations to take place on Syria's future," Mr Kerry said.

The United Nations envoy to Syria, Stefan de Mistura, welcomed the agreement and said the UN would exert all efforts to deliver humanitarian aid.

Image copyright AFP
Image caption Fighting between Syria's army and rebels for control of eastern Aleppo escalated in recent weeks
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